Sioux County Newsletter

1/2 - Office Closed in observation of New Year's Day

1/5 - Junior Robotics

1/22 - Panhandle Best Shoot in Harrison

1/24 - Robotics Showcase at the Courthouse

1/24 - Sioux County 4-H Council Meeting

1/29 - Panhandle Best Shoot in Mitchell

Happy 4-H Month

2/7 - Macramé workshop

We are holding a different workshop every month in case you are missing summer workshops. The January workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 from 4-6pm at the Extension Office due to the robotics showcase. The fee for this workshop will be $10. We will be creating a macramé rainbow key chain. Please call the office or email Melissa Mracek at mmracek2@unl.edu to RSVP by January 20th! We would like to have three participants attend. Participants do not need to be 4-H members.

February will be here before you know it, and you know what that means, right? Time to celebrate Nebraska 4-H Month! Don’t forget to mark your calendars and make plans to celebrate with Nebraska 4-H. The February newsletter will have more information on 4-H Month.

The 2022-2023 4-H year on 4-H Online is now open! Youth wanting participate in Shooting Sports needs to get enrolled today!! Youth must be enrolled before practicing. Deadline for 4-H Enrollment will be June 15, 2023.

Note - 4HOnline has undergone a new update. The parent company behind the 4-H Online website has elected to add a banner ad for Auction Frogs that will appear when families log into 4-H Online. There is no way for Nebraska 4-H to opt out of the banner ad. This banner ad appears at the bottom of the Member List in the Family Profile. If you click "X" button the ad, the ad should not appear again in that browser.

The 4-H Shooting Sports season is in full swing and Panhandle Best Shoots are upon us! Remember you must be a registered 4-H member to compete and practice! Below are the dates for the upcoming Panhandle Best Shoots

Jan. 22 - Harrison

Jan. 29 - Mitchell

Feb. 5 - Rushville

Feb. 19 - Hyannis

Feb. 25 - Alliance (Junior Olympics)

Feb. 26 - Alliance

Mar. 5 - Ogallala

Mar. 12 - Chadron

Mar. 18 - State BB Gun in Beatrice

Mar. 19 - State Air Rifle in Beatrice

The Special Garden Project is a way to offer Nebraska youth the chance to grow unusual and fun projects in their gardens.

The time has come to unveil the 2023 Special Garden Project plant (drumroll please….). The 2023 Special Garden Project will focus on Mrs. Burns’ Lemon Basil. This herb can be used multiple ways. Lemon basil has a unique lemon flavor can be added to any recipe or used as a cut flower in arrangements to add scent and interest.

4-H members enrolled in the Special Garden Project will:

• Receive a ‘packet’ of Mrs. Burns’ Lemon Basil (one packet per youth) in March/April
• Receive a newsletter
• Be able to exhibit this unique herb at County and State Fair

Please let Melissa know by January 10th if you want to order seeds! For more information: https://4h.unl.edu/special-garden-project

All volunteers (teens and adults) and staff who work directly with youth are required to complete the volunteer screening. Volunteers are screened in order to ensure a safe, positive and nurturing environment for all youth involved with Nebraska 4-H programs and provide protection for the child, volunteer, educator, 4-H Council, Extension Board, and Nebraska Extension. Initial screening of volunteers will occur when they sign up to volunteer. Re-screening for volunteers will be done every five years by district regardless of when the original screening was completed. Currently, the cost of the screening is $5.00. Sioux County is up this year!

Repeat Screening Rotation

2023 – Panhandle District: Banner, Blaine, Box Butte, Cherry, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux, Thomas

WHEN enrolling as a VOLUNTEER for the 2022-23 year , please select "Program Volunteer - Selected for Required Screening". All new volunteers in these specified counties must also select this volunteer type

If you have any questions or would like to start the process, email mmracek2@unl.edu

Do you like to try new recipes? Join the monthly group to get new recipes each month along with a cooking supply if you send a photo to Melissa Mracek of trying out the new recipe. You can send photos to mmracek2@unl.edu. Below is the first set of recipes based around Italy. If you are interested in getting new recipes each month, reach out to Melissa at mmracek2@unl.edu.

We’re so excited to announce Adventure Together, the new Nebraska 4-H Camp series for 2023! Registration information will be coming soon. In the meantime, mark your calendars: Chadron – June 5-9; Cozad – June 16-20; Ashland – June 26-29; Burwell – July 16-20; Louisville – July 27-30.

Also save the date for Wilderness Wonders Camp at Camp Norwesca on May 25th and 26th.

Just FYI - the camp in Chadron will overlap with Fort Robinson 4-H Horse Camp.

Need something to keep kids active while they are on winter break? Have them complete different projects in the Holiday 4-H Activity Guide and share pictures with us of the items they complete.

Spark your imagination and passion! .Ignite by 4-H is an inclusive teen event held in Washington, D.C., for four days of inspiring and engaging panels, respected speakers, workshop sessions, entertainment, and creating amazing connections. Explore the best 4-H has to offer in STEM, Agriscience, Healthy Living, and Emotional Well-Being. Discover exciting career paths and create an actionable plan to help create real change in your community. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss! Visit 4-h.org/parents/ignite-by-4-h to learn more.

More information: https://4-h.org/parents/ignite-by-4-h/

Sioux County 4-H is listed as a charity Amazon will donate to if customers utilize smile.amazon when making purchases. On your account you will designate the charity you would like to donate to. Smile.amazon behaves the exact same way as Amazon does but it also donates to the charity of your choice without changing your payment.

Email: mmracek2@unl.edu
Website: go.unl.edu/siouxcofair
Location: PO Box 277 Harrison, NE 69346
Phone: (308) 668-2428
Facebook: facebook.com/UNLSiouxCounty